The invention relates to methods for making low-fat cheese that are simpler than currently available methods and that reliably provide a low-fat cheese that has excellent flavor and texture.
Cheddar cheese aging and flavor development is a natural biological and chemical process that occurs spontaneously. However, characterizing the chemistry of Cheddar cheese flavor has been one the most difficult and elusive activities in dairy chemistry. Even today, no single signature compound has been identified and characterized as the key component of aged Cheddar flavor. Lipolysis plays a prominent role in flavor development of Italian hard cheeses. However, in aged Cheddar cheese the contribution of degradation products from fatty acids is thought to play only a minor role. McGugan et al. (1979) concluded that volatile compounds (both fat and water soluble) may play an important role in the subtle aspects of Cheddar flavor quality, while flavor intensity is provided by the water soluble fraction of Cheddar cheese. A variety of chemical compounds (e.g., methanethiol, a variety of other volatile sulfur containing compounds, individual amino acids, small peptides, etc.) have been identified as contributors to aged Cheddar flavor, but no simple formulation exists for reproducibly making flavorful Cheddar cheese.
The current technology used to manufacture low fat Cheddar cheese accomplishes fat reduction by removing fat from the milk prior to cheese making. This method is simple and it accomplishes the goal of reducing the fat content of the cheese. However, there are many limitations to this approach with respect to the quality characteristics of the lower fat Cheddar cheese. When fat content is reduced, Kosikowski and Mistry (1997) have observed that xe2x80x9cthe environment for starter culture growth is considerably different in low fat cheeses than in full fat cheeses due to changes in composition and, in particular, to the increase in moisture. As a result if starter cultures are not selected with care, the cheese maker may be faced with improper flavor development and evolution of flavor such as bitterness . . . . In addition, moisture control is critical in low fat cheese.xe2x80x9d Lower fat Cheddar cheeses tend to be excessively hard and sometimes rubbery in texture. Various approaches to manufacturing, such as using a lower cooking temperature, water rinses of the cheese curd after draining the whey, etc. have been used to achieve an acceptable moisture content in low fat Cheddar. The body of low fat Cheddar cheese does not break down during aging as well as it does for full fat Cheddar. Thus, it is very difficult to meet consumer expectations for flavor in an aged lower fat Cheddar cheese.
Current low-fat cheese manufacturing procedures are also cumbersome. For example, when the cheese maker is faced with making one third reduced fat, one half reduced fat, and full fat Cheddar in the same day, three different cheese-making procedures must be used. The milk for each type of cheese must be differently standardized, the cheese maker needs to use a different starter culture for the low fat versus the full fat Cheddar, and the times and temperatures of the manufacturing procedures will be different. Changes in manufacturing procedure within a day increase the chances of errors during cheese making and decrease the efficiency of cheese manufacturing in large modem Cheddar cheese factories. In addition, after the three different types of cheese are packed into 640 pound boxes, the degree of drainage of each type of cheese is different resulting in different final dimensions of the large blocks of cheese. In an automated cut and wrap operation, the variation in size (i.e., height) of 640 pound blocks among Cheddar cheeses with different fat contents causes higher trim loss during cutting, because the cutting systems are designed to handle the exact size of full fat Cheddar. Trim loss during cutting of full fat Cheddar can range from 5 to 10% in 640 pound blocks. When low fat Cheddar is cut from 640 pound blocks, the trim loss can be easily double the amount of that in full fat Cheddar because the dimensions of the block are not matched to the size of cutting equipment. As a result, a considerable amount of research effort is being directed toward the development of methods (including the use of genetically modified cultures) that will produce more typical Cheddar flavors when used in low fat Cheddar cheese production.
When Cheddar cheese is being aged, there is often a need to hold cheese longer because of variation in market demand and seasonal variation in production of the cheese. Thus, it is sometimes desirable to continue to age cheese in inventory until the market demand calls for the product. Continued aging of full fat Cheddar cheese is not a problem because the quality will be excellent over a fairly long period of time. Unfortunately, this is not true for lower fat Cheddar cheeses. A lower fat Cheddar cheese may reach a good flavor in 4 months, but by 8 months it can develop off-flavors. Thus, the window of time during which low fat Cheddar can be used is narrower than that for full fat Cheddar cheese. When inventories of lower fat Cheddar cheese are high, defects can develop and, to avoid severe quality defects, the cheese maker may have to divert some low fat Cheddar cheese to make processed cheese. Thus, producing the correct amount of lower fat Cheddar cheese to meet, but not to exceed, future market demands is problematic.
The present invention provides a new approach to making low fat cheese that involves removing fat or butter oil from full fat cheese after the cheese is aged. Thus, the present invention involves a method for making a flavorful low-fat cheese that includes shredding a full fat cheese at a low temperature, warming the cheese, removing 1-90% of fat to generate a flavorful low-fat cheese. Additional steps can also be employed, including blending the low-fat cheese to a uniform texture, pressing the low-fat cheese into a block, and cooling. In a preferred embodiment, a low-fat Cheddar cheese is made by the present methods.
Manufacturing of fresh low-fat cheese by the present methods is greatly simplified. Only one cheese making unit, starter culture, and coagulation technique is needed. All cheese is aged for the same time and under the same temperature conditions. No separate aging rooms and temperatures for cheeses of different fat content are needed. Because production of lower fat cheeses is a conversion process, it can be done at the packaging location. The low fat cheese can be made from the trimmed cheese produced during packaging of full fat aged block cheese, or it could be made directly by grinding block cheese. Moreover, the conversion of full fat trim to premium quality lower fat cheese can be a higher value utilization of the trim than would be its use in processed cheese. The amount of lower fat cheese produced can also be adjusted to the short term market demand because, once the cheese is converted to the lower fat level, it is immediately placed in a consumer size package, and can be delivered directly to market with no further aging. The current moisture control problems of lower fat cheeses are solved by the present methods: after a portion of the fat is physically removed from the cheese, water can be added (and possibly other ingredients) to bring the moisture, salt, and pH directly to the desired target level. Thus, the consistency and accuracy in composition control of the lower fat cheeses produced by the present processes would be much better than is currently available using today""s technology.
All levels of fat reduced cheese can be produced from the same batch of aged cheese. The processing conditions (e.g., grinding, temperature, fat removal step, water addition step, etc.) can be adjusted to make a range of cheeses with different fat and moisture contents. This ability to quickly adjust the type of cheese produced provides tremendous flexibility and permits the inventory of various types of lower fat cheeses to be controlled as needed.